


Together we are stronger.

by seektheinfinite



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, F/M, Romance, post episode 1x07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-09 00:38:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16439795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seektheinfinite/pseuds/seektheinfinite
Summary: Episode tag for S01e06.Diana needs time alone after the days events, Matthew want's to protect her from herself.





	Together we are stronger.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into the world of A Discovery of Witches. I have not seen episode 7 yet so this will in no way match up with events in the episode. As soon as Diana said, "What am I?" at the end of the episode my mind was racing with this idea. As with all things that I write this is not what I had intended to write, but this is where Matthew and Diana wanted to go instead. 
> 
> I am absolutely in love with this show, it's just perfect, and is doing such justice to the amazing books written by Deborah Harkness. If you haven't read the books, you should, they're amazing. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and fingers crossed this won't be the last fic I write in this fandom.

“What am I?” That was the question that had been plaguing her since this whole thing with Ashmole 782 had begun, when her magic had started to emerge, _rebel._ When Matthew had told her that her blood held the markers of all known witches and some more besides, she’d questioned why it was that her magic had always been so pitiful. Surely someone who was supposedly so powerful should have felt the pull, the allure of magic, and yet she had not. It was something that she’d never wanted nor embraced, even before her parents had died.

And now she had an inkling as to why, not perhaps as she had thought previously because she just had no aptitude for magic, nor a desire to use it, but instead her power, her skill, _her essence,_ had been hidden from her. But why, that was the more important question, why would someone have spellbound her? What had she done to deserve it?

That was one thing she knew for certain, she must have deserved it, witches weren’t spellbound lightly, and certainly not without good reason. As she’d said to Matthew, only witches who had harmed others were ever deemed dangerous enough to spellbound. So, what did that make her?

“I’d like to be alone for a while if you don’t mind.” She didn’t turn around from her position facing the mirror, focusing instead on the blue eyes that stared back at her. She felt that if she perhaps stared for long enough she might be able to see into her own soul, to see the evil that must surely reside there.

“Of course. I know this is a lot to take in, after you’ve had such a traumatic day, you must be exhausted.” Ysabeau, ever the democrat, inclined her head slightly, before turning to leave. Seeing that Matthew was making no move to follow, she questioned, “Matthew?”

Matthew frowned, before taking a step closer to Diana, putting a hand protectively around her bicep. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m never leaving Diana’s side again.”

“Matthew…” Ysabeau started but was cut short by Diana shrugging off Matthews touch, taking a step backward.

“When I said I wanted to be alone Matthew, I meant everyone. Please, I just need some time to myself.” Diana could feel herself wavering, her strength failing, she would not fall apart in front of them all, she would not. She’d spent far too long convincing them that she may not be a vampire, but she was no fragile snowflake either.

“I’m sorry Diana, you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want too, but I am not going anywhere, especially after the events of today.” Matthew stood his ground, dark eyes boring into Diana’s, making her feel as though he too were trying to look inside of her soul, to see what other dark secrets lay there.

Diana sighed, before replying, “Matthew I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Mon couer, you could never hurt me, surely you must know that. Whatever was done to you, and for whatever reason, there must be more to it. I know you Diana, you would never …”

“Never what?” Diana found her thin veil of control slipping, her new-found power bubbling up through her veins. “Never explode glass with my mind, just because I got angry. Never create a tornado in the middle of the Bodleian without a second thought, and that was while I was spellbound, there’s no telling what I’m capable of now. Please just get out and leave me alone.” She could feel the tears beginning to spill, the last time she’d felt like this the Witch Water had started, and she wasn’t about to let that happen again.

She took a deep breath, attempting to steady her emotions, before they overtook her completely.  But it was too little, too late, her body, _her mind,_ were not yet in control of the enormous amounts of power now freely coursing through her veins, she was powerless to stop it.

The only way that she would be able to describe it later, would be that it was like standing in a vacuum, where time stood still. No sound or scent could penetrate through the veil of magic that surrounded her, engulfing her. It felt like an eternity, and yet instantaneous all at once.

Glancing down at her hands, she saw the now familiar glow spreading across her body, but this was more, more intense, more powerful, more painful. There was fire, her hands were on fire, it felt as though her whole body was alight, the intensity of the sensations overwhelming her.

“Vampires can burn can’t they Matthew?” Someone asked, it sounded like her but not. Of course, she would never hurt Matthew, _could never hurt Matthew_ , at least the rational Diana side of her brain couldn’t, that didn’t mean to say the other part, the witch part that had been locked away for years, for who knew what reason, would be able to say the same.

Maybe something in her magic made her crazy, made her dangerous, and now that she had full access to all her powers, she would become like Satu, willing to torture to get what she wanted. Maybe she really was evil after all, it was hard to imagine being anything but mad as she stood, in the middle of Sept Tours, the tenuous control she had over her magic slipping away like the sand in an hourglass.

“Diana, you need to calm down.” Matthew made no move towards her, that was good, she was getting to him. “This isn’t you, I know this isn’t you. You’ve had a long day, and you’re not in control right now. You just need to take a deep breath and calm down.” Matthew held his hands up in a gesture of placation, never taking his eyes of Diana for a second.

“Matthew, I think it would be wise to give Diana some space right now.” Ysabeau was at his side in an instant, her own hand resting gently on Matthew’s arm before, Diana noticed, squeezing it tightly.

Matthew ignored his mother, as though she had not even spoken, he continued. “Diana, please, let me help you. I want to help you. I know what it’s like to have power and not know what to do with it. Trust me.”

This time he took a step forward, trying to ignore the fact that Diana’s whole body looked to be on fire, the heat of the flames licking at his icy skin. If he could sweat, it would be dripping off of him, with the force of the heat coming from her body.

“Get. Out!” Diana ground out, before throwing a fireball just above Matthew’s head, hitting the tapestry behind him. She didn’t wait to see what him or Ysabeau would do next, Marthe was already across the room, yanking the tapestry from the wall.

Instead, she stepped forward, slowly, hands outstretched in front of her, ready to throw another fireball if necessary. Matthew looked, was that fear in his eyes, it was only there for an instant before it was gone, but it had definitely been there. The same fear that she had seen in his eyes when Domenico had threatened to take her back to the Congregation for breaking the Covenant.

She laughed, more of a hysterical giggle really, because she had put that fear in his eyes, and suddenly she hated herself, hated her magic. Just yesterday she could never have imagined such a scenario, threatening Matthew with her magic, and yet just a few short hours with her newly discovered powers and here they were. She really was mad.

“You’re not mad.” Matthew gave her an almost imperceptible smile, he looked sad, and she hated that more then the fear that had been there before. “And you don’t scare me Diana. You’re just lost, you have all this power, all this emotion, and nowhere to put it. Believe me, I know what it’s like to feel lost, trapped, _scared._ You also need to believe me when I say that lashing out at the people you love, is not going to make any of the pain or the fear go away, it will only make it worse. I’m not going anywhere Diana, so you might as well start getting used to it now.”

Matthew glanced behind him, to Marthe and Ysabeau, both of whom stood behind him. He could see the pride in their eyes, before Marthe gasped, pointing towards Diana.

“Matthew, look, ca marche, keep talking.” Marthe had noticed what Matthew had not, that the fire coursing through Diana’s veins was beginning to extinguish, slowly fading away. His words, his unwavering love, finally reaching through to her.

“Ysabeau and Marthe and going to leave now.” He glanced back over his shoulder to the two older women, giving an almost imperceptible nod, before turning back to Diana. “It’s just us Diana, and I need you to trust me, please, mon lion, allow me to help you.”

“Matthew?” Diana could feel the magic draining out of her as the world began to swim back into focus around her. It felt as though she were coming back to herself, she could feel her body, every aching inch of it. She felt heavy, wounded, _defeated._ She didn’t see Matthew, vampire body just a blur as he darted across the room, but she could feel him. Strong, powerful arms enveloping here, offering comfort, protection, and the promise of security.

~~~~~

“Diana?” Matthew’s voice penetrated through the dark of her fuzzy semi-conscious mind. “Mon couer, wake up now.”

“Matthew.” Diana couldn’t help but notice the feeling of warmth that spread through her at hearing Matthew’s voice, before feeling his strong arms around her. “You’re still here?”

She couldn’t quite believe that after the days events Matthew would still be here. She half expected to find herself back in Oxford in her rooms, alone, having been dumped by Matthew while she had been unconscious.

“Where else would I be? I said before, and I’ll say it again, I’m never leaving you again.” Matthew bent forward and kissed Diana on the forehead, light, sensuous, _warm_ , which Diana remarked to herself was impossible for a vampire kiss. But there it was, the sure and certain feeling within her that he meant every word. “Whatever happened to you Diana, I promise that we will work it out together, you’re not alone anymore, you know that don’t you?”

“I’m sorry.” Diana ignored his words, instead choosing her own, “I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t, I don’t know what I was doing. It was all just so overwhelming.”

Matthew sounded surprised, “you didn’t scare me Diana, I knew you would never hurt me.”

Diana bolted upright, pushing him away from her, as she could feel her emotions rising again. “Please don’t lie to me Matthew, I saw it in your eyes. You were afraid of me, afraid of what I might do to you.”

Matthew sighed, reaching an arm towards her, to comfort her, before thinking better of it. “No Diana, that’s where you’re wrong. I was never scared _of_ you, I was scared _for_ you. I know what it’s like to have incredible power and no idea what to do with it. It can destroy you if you let it, but I am not going to let that happen to you, just as Ysabeau didn’t let it happen to me.

“What happened to you Matthew?” The question was out before she could think better of it, she knew better then to ask him about his past, the topic had come up once or twice before, and judging from the look in his eyes now, it was not something she was going to get an answer too lightly.

“That is a story for another time, when you’re stronger, and I’m more in control. You went through hell yesterday Diana, and so did I. I’m not ready to relive my own hellish past too. Forgive me, my love. I promise I will tell you, just not right now.”

Matthew reached forward, all thoughts of distance gone, pulling her into a strong, powerful embrace, and for just a moment Diana could forget all about magic, Ashmole 782, the Congregation, Satu,, everything, and just revel in the safety and security that she felt, right there, wrapped up next to  _her_ vampire.  


End file.
